Really cool. I recently did the evening tour which ends when the sun is almost gone for the day…read more The guided tour itself is really informative, you get 90 minutes of history and walk a total of about a mile inside the old prison grounds. You get to walk inside the West cellblock and a few other buildings. Sadly, several of them were burned by morons during the period between 2003-2017 when this was totally vacant and unused. But funding comes in little by little to make repairs. The old portion of the prison was designed by the same architect who designed the famous Chicago water tower. There are some newer elements as renovations were done in the 1950s and 1990s. The docents are very knowledgeable and have good stories to tell about the infamous former inhabitants of the prison. If you want to save a little money you can do a self guided tour as well.

We came for the haunted house. It was fun, and I enjoyed being able to walk around the property…read more There are multiple attractions you can visit, although one was full of flashing lights and no warning of such, so I had to close my eyes while my husband guided me through. There are too many people with neurological issues affected by strobes to not warn patrons. That was an awful experience. I hope to come back some day and do a tour during the day. The location is very interesting.

Here's a great historical site to explore in Joliet. It's free, and it's all outdoors. Back in the…read moreday, Joliet was one of the leading iron/steel manufacturers in the United States, as it provided several locals with jobs. Many of those people were immigrants who had trouble speaking English. You'll learn about the history of Joliet Iron and Steel Works by walking the nearly one mile trail. I didn't spend more than 45 minutes here, but I felt like I learned a lot. I also didn't walk that far on the trail, but I was more than impressed with what I saw. There are lots of ghost structures of the old remains. Obviously, it is not recommended for anyone to go near them (or behind the fenced area). But they're great for photography either way. And of course, you can get your exercise on the trail, which connects to others. Make this a must-see if you're in the area.

First time coming here the other day. This place is amazing for urban explorers, people fascinated…read moreby history or something for the average walker to do to get their daily 10,000 steps. Parking is a bit tricky if your not familiar with the area. It's got a picnic table, restrooms and water. The path heads straight to the I&M trail as well but you'll see remants of a former Joliet in its prime. It's one of the few things that are actually fun to do in this boring city. (no offense) definitely check it out. The path is great and unique. Definitely check out the brick path. I only wish they described more of what the buildings and paths were originally used for with pictures provided.

I've driven through the entire I80 span so many times through the east and west... If you're coming…read morein through Iowa, the first 115 miles are easy rural highways, rarely any police on the road never any traffic. Once you cross the last rest stop into the i55 junction, it gets haywire from there with constant traffic, constant build up and traffic that plague the area. Once you get past that, it gets built up once 80 and 294 merge together and it could take 40 minutes to go 10 miles over the Indiana border. It's not backed up thankfully late at night. Entering in from Indiana can take a while but pay attention to your GPS because there's alot of highways crammed in this area. Getting to i80 requires you to get one lane that many people fight through. The rest of the drive is easy from there Overall the roads are awful! Construction is awfully slow and there's tons of accidents. The rest stops are awful except the one travel plaza. Plus there's not enough rest stops but I still rather take 80 than 88

This is a heavily traveled major east-west route Lots of…read moretruck traffic. With heavy traffic a higher rate of traffic accidents Especially between the Indianna boarder and Joliet. Expect delays and drive with extra caution. West of I-55 care is needed as a mix of heavy truck traffic and drivers trying to go 75 to 85 mph weave around the trucks. Between I-39 and I-55 us route 6 or us route 52 can be used as an alternative to I-80 To avoid construction or heavy traffic/accident delays.

Remember those who were massacred. Learn the true story. It's online. The new park is lovely.read more

In a cornfield north of Joliet, Illinois in 1942, Dominic Romano was developing a subdivision he…read morehad called Stern Park. When he heard of the Nazi atrocity against the village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, he renamed the development Lidice in honor of those who lost their lives at the hands of the Gestapo. It was the first town or part of a town to be named in honor of the obliterated village, others would follow around the world. (Lidice is pronounced, roughly, "LEE-de-seh".) On June 9, 1942 the Gestapo surrounded the village and on June 10, rounded up everyone. They shot all men over 16 and children were separated from their mothers. The women and all the children, except for a few that were selected for "Germanization" were sent to a concentration camp, where many perished. The Nazis demolished the village, plowed it under, desecrated the cemeteries, and even diverted the river that once flowed through the village. Any trace of Lidice was gone. After WWII came to an end, the surviving women and children returned to Lidice where a new village was built near the old one. Crest Hill is a sister city to Lidice in the Czech republic. Romano created a memorial to Lidice in 1942 and the exiled president of Czechoslovakia attended the dedication of the memorial. This memorial is one of only two in the United States dedicated to Lidice. It is not easy to find, located in the heart of Romano's development. Still, it is worth a visit to remember and honor those who died at the hands of the Nazi war machine.

First time coming here and I'll definitely be back here when the weather warms up a bit more but…read morethis place was absolutely beautiful. Well maintained walkways. Plenty of scenic walking. Features some amazing sunsets, bridges too. It's so ambient and quiet, definitely recommend anyone to come here if you're looking to clear your mind.

First time coming here. I wanted a place to enjoy some walking around and educational sight seeing…read more This place is hands down amazing for what's crammed into this museum. For a small fee, you get to immerse yourself for hours and go back in time and learn the origins of this town from an Indian trail to being part of the industrial revolution and beyond! This place features a couple of movie theaters which go very in depth which I didn't have time to get through. It's got a mock 1920s down town area, beautifully detailed area showing what it was like building the I&M canal. They even do parties with rooms downstairs and upstairs on the rooftop.

Exciting and great history of Joliet Illinois. The staff are amazing. The structures and…read morepresentations are fantastic.

First off the Station doesn't have a functional passenger platform any more and as far as I could…read moretell it's a shell of its former glory because there is a metal fence on the platform blocking you from getting on a train but I was not getting on any train so that's ok, I'm here for photography/videos. My purpose for today's visit was my nerdy train porn and it did not disappoint because it was full of action with 20 trains in four hours, what an hot spot of action. I mostly do food reviews but I'm going to leave a review for the Joliet union station for the rail fans who might look at Yelp for some info on this place which is probably very slim. For you rail fans this place has such a great variety of rail action with UP, BNSF, AMTRAK, METRA and NS trains flowing through the diamonds. The tracks go from N, S, E, and W with access to three passenger platforms out of the four coroners so there is plenty of access for the rail fan. AMTRAK, METRA and UNOIN STATION have the three coroners covered which is awesome for the rail fan. The bottom line is if your a rail fan and you want a photo/video shoot with lots of open access with out trespassing than this is a very cool place and worth the drive.

The trains as it is are clean and organized, yet the station itself was not what I expected. Since…read moreI was visiting the area for the first time, it was a challenge to find where exactly Union Station was located. I had to go to the police station and ask for definitive information on the address, since GPS wasn't picking it up. Upon arrival, I noticed that there were hardly any signs at all for the location itself. I figured out where to park, since the parking lot is directly across the street. When it came to receiving ticket information, the signs on the inside of the building were equally confusing. The employees within the station were busy at the time, so I wound up asking some of the locals about train schedules, etc. Would I return to this station? More than likely. Is it convenient to get to? I suppose. Its okay to me, yet could use improvement.

The inside of the building is beautiful! The theater itself is nice and has good seating to see…read morestage. They need more restrooms to accommodate guests. The restrooms also need an update and some repair.

I've been here twice now -- and this is probably one of the most gorgeous theaters I've ever been…read morein. The lobby area is stunning, as well as the inside of the theater. Take a moment to LOOK UP while you are in here. You won't be disappointed. And, I hear this place is haunted, and they offer paranormal tours. I would love to check that out at some point!